Connector



Match 1963 J. J. GRIBBLE 3,081,507

CONNECTOR Filed May ie, 1 9eo 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. F2 2 wg- I 2 @ATTORNEK March 19, 1963 J. J. GRIBBLE 3,081,507

CONNECTOR Filed May 16, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 a ATTOENEK United States Patent 3,031,507 CGNNECTOR Joseph J. Gribble, For: Point, Wis, assignor to Square D Company, Detroi Mich, a corporation of Michigan Filed May 16, E60, Ser. No. 293% @laims. ((Il. 24-125) This invention relates to wire connectors and more particularly to electric terminal connectors to which one or more electrical conductors or wires may be detachably secured.

In attaching electrical conductors or wires to a connector, it is essential to provide both good mechanical and electrical connections.

One of the more common ways of connecting a wire to a connector is to loop the Wire around the shank of a bolt in a base plate of the connector and then tighten the bolt so as to clamp the wire between the bolt head and the base plate. With this construction, unnecessary time and effort are expended in snugly looping the Wire around the shank of the bolt.

Another conventional connecting means is to clamp the wire between complementary members such as a pair of flat plates which can be drawn together fiatwise by a bolt. With this construction, compression forces only are provided to efiect the mechanical and electrical connection of the wire.

In both cases, the mechanical connection is ineffective in that even a medium pull or stress applied longitudinally to the Wire in a direction away from the connector will loosen the connection.

An object of the present invention is to provide a wire connector of simple construction having greatly increased wire gripping power in comparison with prior connectors.

A further object or" the invention is to provide a Wire connector which grips the wire in a recess which is nonlinear in at least two intersecting planes extending generally lengthwise of the recess, whereby any portion of the wire withdrawn from the connector is snubbed at a multiplicity of spaced locations along the clamped portion within the non-linear recess.

A more specific object is to provide a connector which bends the wire into sinuous shape in one plane while ur ing it in a direction generally normal to said plane toward the mid-portion of the plates.

A further object of the invention is to provide a Wire connector including a pair of clamping members capable of connecting a plurality of Wires of different diameter concurrently, or one wire only, with the applied forces between the wires and parts of the members being in all instances substantially normal to the general planes of the plates.

A further object of the invention is to provide a simple, inexpensive wire connector that is durable, compact and of easy manipulation and operation.

Briefly, the foregoing objects are accomplished by the provision of a wire connector comprising a pair of spaced clamping plates having opposed, coacting clamping sur faces configured to form a ii-shaped recess for accommodating and clamping the wire therein, such plates being clamped together by any suitable means such as a bolt passing through aligned, centrally disposed apertures in the plates. The gripping surfaces are configured to bend the clamped portion of the wire into sinuous configuration and concurrently to force the portion of the Wire in the recess toward and against the shank of the bolt, thereby preventing any longitudinal or transverse movement of the wire in the recess when in clamped position. The wire is engaged by the gripping surfaces only at spaced locations along its length so that it is snubbed at successive points along the length of the clamped portion so that the gripping power of the connector is substantially increased and the wire cannot be withdrawn endwise from the connector without being resisted not only by the direct clamping force but by the snubbing action.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a connector constructed in accordance with the present invention, and showing the relative position of the parts prior to as sembly;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged, side elevational view of the connector shown in FIG. 1, and showing the same in assembled position with a wire in position to be clamped, preparatory to clamping;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2, but showing the connector in clamping position on a wire clamped thereby;

FIG. 4 is a front elevational view of the connector shown in FIG. 3 showing the relation of the parts when clamping only one wire, with the wire being shown in section and the mounting lug being omitted for clearness in illustration;

FIG. 5 is a top plan View of the top clamping plate shown in FIG. 1 with the direction of axes of the clamped Wires indicated at x-x and yy; and

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 4 but showing the relation of the parts when clamping two wires, with the Wires being shown in section.

Although the invention is shown and described herein with reference to electrical terminal connectors for connecting electric wires and conductors, it will be understood that it may be employed for connecting any type of elongated objects.

Referring to the drawings, a preferred embodiment of a connector constructed in accordance with the invention is indicated at C and includes a base clamping plate 10, and a coacting top clamping plate 11. The plates ill and ll. are formed preferably of an electrically conducting material, such as metal, and are constructed to tightly clamp or grip a wire W therebetween in a manner to be described.

The base plate It) may include a mounting lug portion 12 having the aperture 13 therein by means of which the connector may be mounted on a panel, not shown, or the like.

The plates 16 and ii may be retained in clamped position by any suitable means such as a bolt 14 which passes through an aperture 16 in the plate 11 and is in threaded engagement with an aperture 13 in the base plate iii. A smooth washer 2i) and a lock washer 22 may be carried on the shank of the bolt. The bolt has a head 24 which presses the washers toward the plates. To provide a locking means for the bolt 14, when in applied position, the washer 20 may be disposed against the undersurface 26 of the bolt head 24 and a wavy lockwasher 22 disposed between the washer 2d and the plate 11 which is arranged to interlock therewith, as will later be discussed. If the underface of the head 24 is scored or serrated, the washers may be dispensed with. Again, if desired, the washer 22 may be disposed against the head and the washer Ell against the plate 11. In the latter instance, the concentration of the force between the plate ill and the smooth washer would be depended upon to provide a locking effect. The plate 11 preferably is made of spring metal for greater effectiveness in retaining the wire and for locking the bolt againstrotation.

The base plate 19 is of a partially dish-shaped configuration and concave toward the plate 1, as defined by spaced front raised projections or shoulders 30 and 32 with a depressed portion 34 therebetween and by the rear continuous raised projection or shoulder 36 with a de pressed portion 33 between it and the front shoulder 3i and a depression 40 between the shoulder 36 and the front shoulder 32.

Patented Mar. 19, lfifiii if desired, a depression similar to the depressed portion 34 also may be included on the shoulder 36. Such depressed portions provide openings or passages to facilitate insertion of the bared end of the wire into the terrni nal in slightly angled relation to the axis X or Y, in FIG. 5, past the screw /14.

The top plate 11 is of V-shaped or bowed configuration so as to be concave toward the plate It} in section transversely of the wire receiving recesses, as indicated in the front elevation shown in FIG. 4. It is stamped to form a groove 44 on its outer face and an underhanging ridge or abutment 46 on its inner face, the groove and abutment extending across the central portion of the plate transversely to the length of the wire recesses. The corners of the plate at one side of the bolt 14 provide shoulders 5t and 52 and those at the other side provide shoulders 51 and 53. Thus the shoulders 59, S2, 32, and as and abutment 46 provide a wire accommodating recess which is sinuous or non-linear endwise of the wire, and preferably is V.-shaped in a plane through the wire axis and parallel to the bolt axis. The shoulders 51, 53, St), and 36 also provide such a passage. A wire engaging wedge surface 56 is provided on the abutment 46 and slopes away from the plate in a direction toward the axis of the bolt 14 so that it can force the wire to move transversely of its length toward the bolt, and hence in a plane generally normal to the sinuous bend in the wire, when the plates are drawn toward each other. 4

In operation, the parts are assembled in the position shown in FIG. 2, the wire W being disposed between the plates front to rear at one side of the bolt 14. From PEG. 2 position, it will be clear that the wire is subjected to a three-point contact; namely, the two contact points on the spaced shoulders 32 and 36 at the one side of the wire and the opposing contact point on the abutment 46 at the other side of the wire intermediate the shoulders 32 and 36. :With this three-point wire contact construction, further tightening of the bolt 14 forces the plates 10 and 11 toward each other to provide a wire accommodating depression 4t) in which the clamped portion of the wire is formed in a V-shaped configuration and finally clamped as illustrated in FIG. 3.

At the same time, and in coaction with such threepoint Wire contact construction, the clamped portion of the wire is forced towards the central portion of the connector by the inclined Wedge surface 56 of the abutment 46 until the wire contacts the bolt 14-. Thus, the Wire cannot move either endwise or transversely of the connector when in such clamped position. Accordingly, if either end of the Wire is subjected to a pulling force tending to pull the wire out of the connector in any direction, all of the wire Withdrawn from the connector must be drawn through the sinuous recess formed by the three-point wire contact in coaction with the inclined wedge surface 56 aforedescribed. Any such portion of the Wire so withdrawn must be repeatedly bent to and from a linear configuration to a V-shaped configuration during endwise withdrawal. Obviously, the pulling force required to effect such bending against the snubbing action is substantial. Hence, the gripping power of the connector is substantially greater than that of prior connectors.

When the wire is in fully clamped position as shown in FlG. 3, the wire is clamped between two spaced surfaces at two locations in the connector; namely, 'between the shoulder 54) and the projection 32, and between the shoulder 52 and the projection 36, such construction efiecting normal clamping pressures on the wire. In such clamped position, portions 60 and 62 of the wire between the abutment 46 and the adjacent clamped location aforedescribed, are in unclamped condition.

Additionally, the abutment 46 is limited in dimension toward the plate jltl so that, when the wire is in clamped position, the lowest portion of the wire that is disposed in the depression 40 is spaced from the plate It as indicated at 64 in FIG. 3. With this construction, premature and inadvertent fracturing of the plate 10 by concentration of forces is substantially eliminated since the plate is not subjected to any great bending stresses along the axes x-x and yy as in FIG. 5.

Although the connector shown and described herein possesses substantial gripping power because the wire is confined in a V-shaped recess, it will be understood that the same gripping effect may be achieved by any suitable configured clamping plates which confine the wire in any type of non-linear recess with such confinement being restricted in all directions except in a direction longitudinally of the wire.

Although the present connector is shown and described as receiving a single wire or conductor, it will be understood that the connector may receive a single Wire or a plurality of wires of the same or different diameters. For this purpose, the structure shown and described as existing at one side of the bolt herein with reference to the right side of the connector in FIG. 4 is duplicated at the diametrically opposite, or left side, thereof, as shown in FIG. 6.

For this purpose, the plate 11 is bowed about an axis extending parallel to the wire recesses so as to be convex toward the head of the bolt. The resulting outer bowed surface of the plate 11 can rock on the undersurface of the bolt head or washer 2% Also, the aperture 16 in the plate 11 is elliptical, as best shown in FIG. 5, with the major axis of the ellipse extending in a direction transverse to the length of the wire recesses and parallel to the depression 4d. T his permits the top plate 11 to rock and adjust itself over the wire or wires held by the connector so that the bolt 14 retains the plates 10 and 11 in clamped position with clamping forces directed parallel to the bolt axis, thereby eliminating any side stresses on the bolt and unbalanced pressures on the plates.

,To increase the gripping power of the connector, the shoulders 32, 36, 5G and 52 may have locking serrations formed in the gripping surfaces thereof.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A wire connector comprising a pair of clamping plates in face to face relation, each plate having an aperture at its mid-portion, said apertures being aligned with each other, a bolt extending through the apertures and in threaded engagement at one of its ends with one plate, the other plate being disposed between said one plate and the other end of the bolt, said plates defining parallel wire accommodating recesses arranged at opposite sldes of the bolt, respectively, said other plate being concavo-convex at least about an axis extending in a direction generally endwise of the recesses, said other plate having its convex face facing the other end of the bolt, means on the bolt at said other end of the bolt having a surface pressed by the bolt against the peak of the convex face of said other plate, said one plate having, for each recess, a pair of projections spaced apart from each other endwise of the associated recess, the other plate having, for each recess, shoulders aligned with the projections, respectively, and operable to clamp wires against the projections for holding them in the recesses, respectively, said other plate having, for each recess, an abutment disposed between the projections of that recess, and said abutment being disposed in spaced relation to the face of the said one plate a distance such that, when a wire is clamped between the shoulders and projections in a recess, the wire is engaged by the abutment and bent thereby toward said one plate and is held 1n spaced relation to said one plate, at the portion engaged by the abutment, thereby relieving said other plate from substantial bending stresses due to tightening of the bolt.

2. A wire connector comprising a pair of clamping plates in face to face relation, each plate having an aperture at its mid-portion, said apertures being aligned with each other, a bolt extending through the apertures, means associated with one plate and in threaded engagement with one end of the bolt, the other plate being disposed between said one plate and the other end of the bolt whereby the plates can be drawn toward each other by the bolt, said plates defining parallel wire accommodating recesses arranged at opposite sides of the bolt, respectively, said other plate being concavo-convex at least about an axis extending in a direction generally endwise of the recesses, said other plate having its convex face facing the other end of the bolt, means on the bolt at said other end of the bolt having a surface pressed by the bolt against the peak of the convex face of said other plate, said one plate having, for each recess, a pair of projections spaced apart from each other endwise of the associated recess, the other plate having, for each recess, shoulders aligned with the projections, respectively, and operable to clamp wires against the projections for holding them in the recesses, respectively, said other plate having, for each recess, an abutment disposed between the projections of that recess, and adapted to bend the wire transversely at the portion between the projections, said shoulders and abutment sloping away from the one plate in a direction toward the bolt transversely of the recesses for urging the wire inwardly of the plates transversely of the recesses.

3. A wire connector for receiving and gripping at least one wire therebetween and comprising a pair of spaced clamping plates for engaging and clamping a wire therebetween at at least two locations spaced along the length of the wire from each other, one of said plates comprising a sheet metal stamping having a pair of opposite lateral margins and a depressed central portion there between, the other plate being a stamping which is concavo-convex along an axis extending transversely of said margins, said one plate being threaded for receiving a bolt, said other plate having an aperture with a bolt extending therethrough, said aperture being positioned so that the head of the bolt presses against the peak of the convex face of said other plate, whereby when the plates are drawn together with the wire extending across said margins of the one plate the wire i clamped between said margins and the other plate, and said other plate having a central depressed portion offset toward said one plate at a location between the margins of said one plate and spaced therefrom endwise of the wire for engaging the wire between said margins, and for bending the wire out of the plane of the margins toward the depressed central portion of said one plate into spaced relation to said one plate, and the surface of the depressed portion of said other plate, facing towards said one plate, sloping away from said one plate toward the axis of the bolt.

4. A wire connector for receiving and gripping at least one wire therein and comprising first and second spaced coacting clamping plates configured for receiv ing and gripping the wire in clamped position therebetwene, each plate having a bolt receiving aperture at its central portion, a single clamping bolt extending through the apertures and detachably retaining said plates in clamped position, the first plate having at one face spaced projections forming a depression therebetween with the projections at the lateral margins of the depression, the second plate having an abutment facing said first plate and aligned, endwise of the depression, with the bolt and positioned to bend the wire, in the direction of the applied clamping force, into the depression intermediate the projections into a V-shaped configuration as the plates are moved into clamping position and to hold the Wire therein in spaced relation to the bottom of the depression when the plates are in full clamping engagement, at least one or" said first and second plates having abutment means for urging the clamped portion of the wire transversely of the direction of the applied clamping force endwise of the depression toward the bolt during said movement of the plates, and said abutment means having an inclined surface on at least one plate and sloping away from the outer periphery of the other plate in a direction away from said other plate and endwise of the depression, said inclined surface being operative for slidably contacting the wire and forcing the wire endwise of the depression against the bolt when the plates are in clamped position.

5. The wire connector according to claim 4 wherein said one plate is of spring metal and shaped to be flexed out of its normal condition under the clamping pressure exerted by the bolt.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,737,506 McCracken Nov. 26, 1929 2,271,270 McLearn Jan. 27, 1942 2,453,432 Hackathorn Nov. 9, 1948 2,712,123 Wibell et a1. June 28, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS 162,199 Austria Jan. 25, 1949 1,025,428 France Jan. 121, 1953 599,171 Germany June 26, 1934 601,283 Germany Mar. 26, 1935 828,865 Germany Jan. 21, 1952 97,178 Sweden Oct. 24, 1939 158,133 Sweden Mar. 12, 1957 328,225 Switzerland Apr. 15, 1958 

4. A WIRE CONNECTOR FOR RECEIVING AND GRIPPING AT LEAST ONE WIRE THEREIN AND COMPRISING FIRST AND SECOND SPACED COACTING CLAMPING PLATES CONFIGURED FOR RECEIVING AND GRIPPING THE WIRE IN CLAMPED POSITION THEREBETWEEN, EACH PLATE HAVING A BOLT RECEIVING APERTURE AT ITS CENTRAL PORTION, A SINGLE CLAMPING BOLT EXTENDING THROUGH THE APERTURES AND DETACHABLY RETAINING SAID PLATES IN CLAMPED POSITION, THE FIRST PLATE HAVING AT ONE FACE SPACED PROJECTIONS FORMING A DEPRESSION THEREBETWEEN WITH THE PROJECTIONS AT THE LATERAL MARGINS OF THE DEPRESSION, THE SECOND PLATE HAVING AN ABUTMENT FACING SAID FIRST PLATE AND ALIGNED, ENDWISE OF THE DEPRESSION, WITH THE BOLT AND POSITIONED TO BEND THE WIRE, IN THE DIRECTION OF THE APPLIED CLAMPING FORCE, INTO THE DEPRESSION INTERMEDIATE THE PROJECTIONS INTO A V-SHAPED CONFIGURATION AS THE PLATES ARE MOVED INTO CLAMPING POSITION AND TO HOLD THE WIRE THEREIN IN SPACED RELATION TO THE BOTTOM OF THE DEPRESSION WHEN THE PLATES ARE IN FULL CLAMPING ENGAGEMENT, AT LEAST ONE OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND PLATES HAVING ABUTMENT MEANS FOR URGING THE CLAMPED PORTION OF THE WIRE TRANSVERSELY OF THE DIRECTION OF THE APPLIED CLAMPING FORCE ENDWISE OF THE DEPRESSION TOWARDS THE BOLT DURING SAID MOVEMENT OF THE PLATES, AND SAID ABUTMENT MEANS HAVING AN INCLINED SURFACE ON AT LEAST ONE PLATE AND SLOPING AWAY FROM THE OUTER PERIPHERY OF THE OTHER PLATE IN A DIRECTION AWAY FROM SAID OTHER PLATE AND ENDWISE OF THE DEPRESSION, SAID INCLINED SURFACE BEING OPERATIVE FOR SLIDABLY CONTACTING THE WIRE AND FORCING THE WIRE ENDWISE OF THE DEPRESSION AGAINST THE BOLT WHEN THE PLATES ARE IN CLAMPED POSITION. 